Informal usage

In informal usage, a U.S. village may be simply a relatively small clustered human settlement without formal legal existence. In colonial
New England, a village typically formed around the
meetinghouses that were located in the center of each
town.[1] Many of these colonial settlements still exist as
town centers. With the advent of the
Industrial Revolution,
industrial villages also sprang up around
water-powered mills, mines, and
factories.[1] Because most New England villages were contained within the boundaries of legally established towns, many such villages were never separately incorporated as municipalities.

A relatively small
unincorporated community, similar to a
hamlet in New York state, or even a relatively small community within an incorporated city or town, may be termed a village. This informal usage may be found even in states that have villages as an incorporated municipality and is similar to the usage of the term "unincorporated town" in states having town governments.

Formal usage

States that formally recognize villages vary widely in the definition of the term.[2] Most commonly, a village is either a
special district or a municipality. As municipalities, a village may

Alaska

Under Article 10, Section 2 of the
Alaska Constitution, as well as law enacted pursuant to the constitution, Alaska legally recognizes only cities and
boroughs as municipal entities in Alaska.[3] In Alaska, "village" is a colloquial term used to refer to small communities, which are mostly located in
the rural areas of the state, often unconnected to the contiguous North American road system. Many of these communities are populated predominately by
Alaska Natives and are federally recognized as villages under the
Indian Reorganization Act and/or the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. As voting membership in the Alaska Municipal League is on an equal footing, regardless of population, most villages are incorporated as second-class cities. In common usage, however, these communities are thought of more often as villages than as cities.

Connecticut

Village districts are subordinate agencies of municipal governments rather than municipalities in their own right.[2]

Delaware

Municipalities in
Delaware are called cities, towns, or villages. There are no differences among them that would affect their classification for census purposes.[2]

Florida

Municipalities in
Florida are called cities, towns, or villages.[2] They are not differentiated for census purposes.

Idaho

All municipalities in
Idaho are called cities, although the terms "town" and "village" are sometimes used in statutes.[2]

Illinois

A village is a type of
incorporated municipality in
Illinois; the other two types are the
city and the
incorporated town.[2] All incorporated municipalities, regardless of type, are independent of each other, and cannot overlap. Villages can be created by referendum under the general state law or by special state charter. The governing body is a board of six elected trustees and an elected village president, all of whom are usually elected
at-large.

Louisiana

A village in
Louisiana is a municipality having a population of 1,000 or fewer.[2]

Michigan

In
Michigan, villages differ from cities in that, whereas villages remain part of the
townships in which they are formed, thereby reducing their home-rule powers, cities are not part of townships. Because of this, village governments are required to share some of the responsibilities to their residents with the township.[2]

Minnesota

Villages that existed in
Minnesota as of January 1, 1974, became
statutory cities, as opposed to charter cities. Cities may or may not exist within township areas.[2][5]

Mississippi

A village in
Mississippi is a municipality of 100 to 299 inhabitants. They may no longer be created.[2]

Missouri

The municipalities of
Missouri are cities, towns, and villages. Unlike cities, villages have no minimum population requirement.[2]

Nebraska

In
Nebraska, a village is a municipality of 100 through 800 inhabitants, whereas a city must have at least 800 inhabitants. In counties having townships, all villages, but only some cities, are within township areas. A city of the second class (800-5,000 inhabitants) may elect to revert to village status.[2]

New Hampshire

In
New Hampshire, a village district or precinct may be organized within a town. Such a village district or precinct is a special district with limited powers.[2]

New Jersey

A village in the context of
New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. Villages in New Jersey are of equal standing to other municipalities, such as cities, towns, boroughs, and townships.

New Mexico

The municipalities in
New Mexico are cities, towns, and villages. There are no differences among them that would affect their classification for census purposes.[2]

New York

In
New York State, a village is an incorporated area that differs from a
city in that a village is within the jurisdiction of one or more
towns, whereas a city is independent of a town. Villages thus have less autonomy than cities.[2]

A village is usually, but not always, within a single town. A village may be coterminous with, and have a
consolidated government with, a town. A village is a clearly defined municipality that provides the services closest to the residents, such as garbage collection, street and highway maintenance, street lighting and building codes. Some villages provide their own police and other optional services. Those municipal services not provided by the village are provided by the town or towns containing the village. As of the 2000 census, there are 553 villages in New York.

There is no limit to the population of a village in New York;
Hempstead, the largest village in the state, has 55,000 residents, making it more populous than some of the state's cities. However, villages in the state may not exceed five square miles (13 km²) in area. Present law requires a minimum of 500 residents to incorporate as a village.

North Carolina

The municipalities in
North Carolina are cities, towns, and villages. There are no significant differences in legal power or status.[2]

Ohio

In
Ohio, a village is an incorporated municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, excluding residents of educational or correctional facilities.[2][6] The minimum population for incorporation as a village is 1,600 inhabitants, but this was not always the case, resulting in many very small villages.[7] If an existing village's population surpasses 5,000 at a federal census, or if a village comes to have more than five thousand resident registered voters, it is automatically designated as a city.[6] Cities or villages may be within township areas; however, if a city or village becomes coterminous with a township, the township ceases to exist as a separate government (see
Paper township).[8]

Oklahoma

Oregon

In
Oregon, the municipal governments are cities, towns, and villages, although there is no significance in their legal powers or status.[2] Also, one county —
Clackamas County — permits the organization of
unincorporated areas into villages and hamlets. The boards of such entities are advisory to the county.[9]

Texas

In
Texas, villages may be Type B or Type C municipalities, but not Type A municipalities. The types differ in terms of population and in terms of the forms of government that they may adopt.[2]

Vermont

In
Vermont, villages are named communities located within the boundaries of a legally established
town, unlike cities, which are outside of any town area.[2] Villages may be incorporated or unincorporated.

West Virginia

In
West Virginia, towns and villages are Class IV municipalities, i.e., having 2,000 or fewer inhabitants.[2]